Book Talk

Two American Pastimes

Baseball season is in full swing (sorry) and so are the baseball books! I know I am not the only one who feels that the Dodgers should never have left Brooklyn, and now you can experience the behind the scenes motivations and manipulations. Forever Blue: the True Story of Walter O’Malley Baseball’s most Controversial Owner, and the Dodgers of Brooklyn and Los Angeles, by Michael D’Antonio, looks at baseball through the life of O’Malley, a former Tammany Hall associate.

Peter Golenbock has written George: the Poor Little Rich Boy who built the Yankee Empire. He describes Steinbrenner as “baseball’s biggest bully, worst boss and most successful owner ever.” Wonder why some players were traded and others kept on?  It’s all here!

If you’re all about technique, read Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals: the Inside Story of Baseball’s Greatest Techniques, Strategies, and Plays by Derek Gentle.  Do you believe the sinker is a pitch of its own or part of the fastball family? If you have an opinion on this, you’ll love the book.

Along with the drama of baseball is the tragedy. Mike Coolbaugh, coach of the minor league Arkansas Travelers, was killed almost instantly by a freak foul ball. Coolbaugh was 35 and the father of two, with a third on the way. Tino Sanchez, who hit the ball, has never recovered emotionally from the incident. Heart of the Game: Life, Death, and Mercy in Minor League America, by S.L. Price, examines the lives of two fine men.

We’re fortunate to live within driving distance of Cooperstown, but if you’re not up for the trip take a look at Bert Sugar’s Baseball Hall of Fame: a Living History of America’s Greatest Game.  This is virtual tour with many photographs, including all of the Hall of Fame plaques.

Foodies may soon overtake the number of baseball fans in the country. Mark Kurlansky’s The Food of a Younger Land: a Portrait of American Food… is based on files collected as part of a WPA project during the Depression.  This was a time when fast food did not yet exist and regional specialties dominated. I loved the chapter on the Automat where food appeared, magically, behind little glass doors! So, get ready for Alabama cane grindings and candy pullings, the infamous Wisconsin and Minnesota lutefisk, or a California grunion fry…

Even farther back in food history is Catching Fire: how Cooking made us Human by Richard Wrangman.  A primatologist, Wrangman’s thesis is that cooking was a major evolutionary step. Cooking led to family units, dietary changes and an increase in brain size.  Sorry, no recipes are included.

The global food supply is vulnerable to weather, climate changes, contamination and an ever increasing population. Sharon Astyl and Aaron Newton have written A Nation of Farmers: Defeating the Food Crisis on American Soil. In it they call for a new kind of victory garden. From backyard chickens, schoolyard vegetables and suburban farmers, we can provide more of our own healthy, locally grown food. Join the revolution!

Don’t forget, sign up for our Summer Reading Program for Grown-ups starts on June23. Come in and pick up your packet.

Virginia Cooper
Adult Services Librarian